Both parties standing in way of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the September 24, 2010 edition of Central Michigan Life.)

What should have been a monumental and historic occasion was reduced to a political ploy for votes and ultimately failed, leaving a legal form of discrimination in place.

On Monday, a provision that would have led to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military law that prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly failed to garner the 60 votes needed to block a Republican filibuster in the Senate.

While pundits from both sides will try and lay blame at one specific group, there is plenty of blame to go around here.

Debates in gubernatorial race unnecessary

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the September 20, 2010 edition of Central Michigan Life.)

Political debates are dull, tedious and boring, and thanks to this year’s gubernatorial candidates, Michigan voters may be spared from them.

The sides representing Democratic candidate Virg Bernero and GOP candidate Rick Snyder have not been able to compromise on how many debates should take place, when or where the debates should take place, the time they should be and who the moderators should be.

Fine, just scrap the whole idea.

Not all conservatives are far-right extremists

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the September 15, 2010 edition of Central Michigan Life.)

As someone who freely admits to being politically conservative, it always angers me when people just assume I am tuned into Fox News 24/7 and I already have a ballot punched for Sarah Palin in 2012.

I do not watch Glenn Beck or even think Sarah Palin is qualified to run as much as a Dairy Queen.

I have no doubt President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii; not Kenya, Senegal or the forest moon of Endor. And I am not alone.

Report the truth, no matter how ugly

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the September 13, 2010 edition of Central Michigan Life.) 
Matt Dobek committed suicide.


Those were four words that the Detroit media establishment would not print for a week.

Dobek, a CMU alumnus and 2009 inductee of the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame, was found dead Aug. 21 after hanging himself at age 51.

Yet, if you only relied on media reports, you would have had no clue that Dobek took his own life.

Tate Forcier still fails to earn his wings...

A picture may tell a thousand words, but the sight of a 20-year-old kid pouting on a bench by himself speaks even louder.

Tate Forcier, the former freshman standout reduced to third string quarterback at Michigan made headlines this summer when he was forced by Head Coach Rich Rodriguez to practice with a blank blue helmet that lacked Michigan's trademarked yellow wings as a punishment for not being totally committed to the team.

By the time Michigan kicked off their 2010 season with a impressive 30-10 win over Connecticut on Saturday, Forcier had his wings but obviously left his maturity back in the lockerroom.

1,553 tickets issued in first week at CMU, 30 percent of parking violations voided

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the September 1, 2010 edition of Central Michigan Life.)

Central Michigan University Police issued 1,553 parking violations during the first week of classes.

Out of those violations, 453 tickets were voided, said Kim Roshak, office manager of CMU Parking Services. There are 54 citations still pending, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Most citations issued were for not properly displaying a parking pass, which is called a “Failure to Display,” Roshak said.

“If a student comes in the Parking Services office with a ticket for failure to display and purchases the required parking permit, we will, as a courtesy, void their parking citation,” she said.